Hi Guys,
I am an adult son of a 60 year old, Type 1 insulin dependant diabetic. He has suffered for the best part of 35 years, and I would like to share some of his story for a couple of reasons. Firstly I am truly at the end of my tether, and secondly I would be very interested in other people's thoughts on the issues I raise.
My father successfully avoided a single hypo in the 20 years he worked in the Fire Service after diagnosis. He had others pee in bottles for him to pass the medicals, and moved off operational duty into a HQ role so as not to be a danger to anyone. However whilst he never once in 20 years had a hypo during working hours, our life after 5pm was a living hell. Hypos at 5/6pm because he would inject insulin ages before food was likely to be ready, hypos at 8pm because he couldn't be bothered getting some more carbs down him, and latterly hypos in the night which usually needed medical attention.
Over the years my view formed that he was submitting us to a kind of "abuse" in that he knew what he needed to do, when he needed to do it, he just chose not to. Whilst hypo unaware situations were always a possibility, zero hypo situations in 20 years during the day, but several a week in the evenings would suggest he absolutely knew what he was doing as he must have had to take some action during the day at some point.
In 2005 2 things happened. Firstly, he retired. On the same day, as a result of what I call his "abuse" culminated in my mother passed away. This was caused when she had to give up her job because he would come to pick her up at 8.30, absolutely out of it so she was terrified of getting in the car with him. Her life deteriorated into depression, drink and ultimately her death within a matter of a couple of years as she just withered away.
From thereon, of course he has been depressed - and on one occasion has come close to suicide. After the death of my mother his hypos became so frequent I was often being called by friends to be told he was unconscious on the supermarket car park, or finding him unconscious at home on a daily basis. However things looked up when he hooked up with an old friend and they began to live together as a couple.
And after a short time the cycle of "abuse" began again - and has been ongoing now, with paramedics called 19 times in the last 3 months. His sugar often gets so low that a single glucagon injection alone does not work - and he claims to be completely hypo unaware.
The reason I am writing today is because last night he started cooking after his partner had gone to bed - obviously he was having a hypo. At 1.30am a friend of mine rang to say there were 3 fire engines outside the house, 2 ambulances and a load of police. Of course he has only gone and burned the house down! Thank god they are both ok aside from smoke inhalation. It has to stop - but how.
From the short story above, I would appreciate anybody's views as to their experiences of such issues. I am particularly interested as to the psychological aspect of what he is doing not just to himself but his whole family. After speaking at length with a client of mine who is a GP (whose step son drove through the central reservation of the M65 over xmas during a hypo), he has a theory that in my dad's case, rather than being "unaware", people can be "addicted" to the feeling of having a hypo. We find it all the more odd that he is an intelligent feller apart from his diabetes management.
Also what support shoud he be asking for from his GP? His HBA1c is 8.1 and he has done the daphne course but this caused him all manner of problems with control so he won't follow what he learned.
After his diabetes was a primary cause of my late mother's depression, and he nearly killed himself and his partner last night in a fire how many wake up calls is he going to need - or is it that because of his own depression, he just doesnt care?
Sorry for the length of my first post on the forum, but I'd really appreciate any help or practical advice you can offer.
I am an adult son of a 60 year old, Type 1 insulin dependant diabetic. He has suffered for the best part of 35 years, and I would like to share some of his story for a couple of reasons. Firstly I am truly at the end of my tether, and secondly I would be very interested in other people's thoughts on the issues I raise.
My father successfully avoided a single hypo in the 20 years he worked in the Fire Service after diagnosis. He had others pee in bottles for him to pass the medicals, and moved off operational duty into a HQ role so as not to be a danger to anyone. However whilst he never once in 20 years had a hypo during working hours, our life after 5pm was a living hell. Hypos at 5/6pm because he would inject insulin ages before food was likely to be ready, hypos at 8pm because he couldn't be bothered getting some more carbs down him, and latterly hypos in the night which usually needed medical attention.
Over the years my view formed that he was submitting us to a kind of "abuse" in that he knew what he needed to do, when he needed to do it, he just chose not to. Whilst hypo unaware situations were always a possibility, zero hypo situations in 20 years during the day, but several a week in the evenings would suggest he absolutely knew what he was doing as he must have had to take some action during the day at some point.
In 2005 2 things happened. Firstly, he retired. On the same day, as a result of what I call his "abuse" culminated in my mother passed away. This was caused when she had to give up her job because he would come to pick her up at 8.30, absolutely out of it so she was terrified of getting in the car with him. Her life deteriorated into depression, drink and ultimately her death within a matter of a couple of years as she just withered away.
From thereon, of course he has been depressed - and on one occasion has come close to suicide. After the death of my mother his hypos became so frequent I was often being called by friends to be told he was unconscious on the supermarket car park, or finding him unconscious at home on a daily basis. However things looked up when he hooked up with an old friend and they began to live together as a couple.
And after a short time the cycle of "abuse" began again - and has been ongoing now, with paramedics called 19 times in the last 3 months. His sugar often gets so low that a single glucagon injection alone does not work - and he claims to be completely hypo unaware.
The reason I am writing today is because last night he started cooking after his partner had gone to bed - obviously he was having a hypo. At 1.30am a friend of mine rang to say there were 3 fire engines outside the house, 2 ambulances and a load of police. Of course he has only gone and burned the house down! Thank god they are both ok aside from smoke inhalation. It has to stop - but how.
From the short story above, I would appreciate anybody's views as to their experiences of such issues. I am particularly interested as to the psychological aspect of what he is doing not just to himself but his whole family. After speaking at length with a client of mine who is a GP (whose step son drove through the central reservation of the M65 over xmas during a hypo), he has a theory that in my dad's case, rather than being "unaware", people can be "addicted" to the feeling of having a hypo. We find it all the more odd that he is an intelligent feller apart from his diabetes management.
Also what support shoud he be asking for from his GP? His HBA1c is 8.1 and he has done the daphne course but this caused him all manner of problems with control so he won't follow what he learned.
After his diabetes was a primary cause of my late mother's depression, and he nearly killed himself and his partner last night in a fire how many wake up calls is he going to need - or is it that because of his own depression, he just doesnt care?
Sorry for the length of my first post on the forum, but I'd really appreciate any help or practical advice you can offer.
